SUMMER 2015

“The direction in which Plymouth State is moving … the initiatives for the future … that feeling I get when I’m back on campus.” This is what motivated David Poulin ’85 to become more deeply involved with his alma mater. As the newest member of the President’s Council, Poulin brings enthusiasm, energy, and commitment to the 22-member volunteer organization that works to advance the University’s mission by advocating for its future and securing private support.

Poulin, a physical education major and four-year player on Plymouth State’s football team, is now a senior vice president and senior investment management consultant with the Bay Colony Group at Morgan Stanley. He and his wife, Monica, live in Wayland, MA, with their three children. His commitment to athletics and fitness are evident in his community service involvements: youth sports like Pop Warner Football, baseball, softball, the Pan Mass Challenge bike ride to raise funds for the Jimmy Fund and Dana Farber Cancer Institute, and Friends of Plymouth State Football.

Q: How has your relationship to Plymouth State evolved in the 28 years since you graduated?

A: I’ve always loved this place. The close-knit PE department [now expanded as the Department of Health and Human Performance with 15 different undergraduate and graduate degree programs] gave me a solid start. My college friends and teammates have turned out to be my best friends—we have been together more than 30 years. We used to come back for football games, but then our priorities shifted with growing responsibilities to family and career. Two years ago, I connected with John Scheinman from University Advancement and began to see the positive initiatives the University was undertaking. John recognized in me a desire to help, especially with the ALLWell Center, and put me in touch with President Steen and [Council Chair] Larry Haynes. Serving on the President’s Council was the next right step in my lifelong relationship with PSU.

Q: Why is the replacement of the PE Center with the new ALLWell Center a project that matters to you and to PSU?

A: It’s important because it’s the only option! New facilities will make us competitive—for students, for great athletes, and especially in the health and human performance disciplines. The ALLWell Center truly benefits the entire University community. The ice arena and welcome center, the first phase of the plan, has already changed the social dynamics of the campus and the community. I’m excited about it and feel this is something alumni can get behind. It’s an opportunity we have to change the University for the next 50 years. As a member of the President’s Council, I want to help bring alumni together for a common cause that positively impacts the future PSU.

Q: Have you identified any common threads in the alumni and donor population of your generation?

A: I see a yearning of my generation to get back together, to get back to PSU, to reconnect. That’s where the idea for the new Boston Business Forum came from. We reached out to alumni who work in business and live in the Boston area, putting them in touch with the great things happening at the University like the new Enterprise Center, and reconnecting them with people they used to know and others they need to know—all through Plymouth State. People from PSU want to do business with others from PSU. If we can ignite pockets of alumni like this, we will be able to change lives like ours were changed when we first walked on campus many years ago.

Features

Shengxia Huang was working in sales at Linyi Maosheng Plastic Products Co., Ltd., in eastern China when she realized that she would never be able to advance in her career without furthering her education. more

Two weeks before Plymouth State University honored the Class of 2015 at its 144th Commencement, a smaller and less formal, but deeply meaningful, celebration was held to recognize eight students who are part of the University’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community. more

In April, legendary Panther running back, Joe Dudek, was inducted into the inaugural class of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Hall of Fame, in recognition of his extraordinary achievements in college football. more

On May 4, 2015, more than 500 student-athletes, as well as athletic trainers, coaches, and former president Sara Jayne Steen came together to celebrate the year, and the community that is Panther Athletics. more